Power press



April 10, 1934. K. SIMMONS Er AL POWER .PRESS Filed Feb. 27, 1932 4 O/PNEY Patented Apri 10, 1934 I POWER PRESS Frank K. Simmons, West Hartford, and Cortis F. Sherman, Hartford, Conn., assignors to The Henry & Wright Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Massachuse s Application February 27, 1932, Serial No. 595,528

8 Claims. (01. 164-19) Our invention is embodied in that type of mawardly with a result that the sides of the frame chine wherein great pressure is exerted in cutare bowed inwardly. The horizontal force tends ting, stamping or otherwise shaping metallic to how the head sideways with a result that the sheets or articles, and an object of our invention, sides of the frame are twisted. V

among others, is the production of a machine of Unless these distortions in the head are re- 60 this type that, while being of minimum weight duced'to a minimum, the sides of the frame are shall, at the same time, possess such strength distorted to such an extent as to effect the guidand rigidity as to resist to a maximum degree ingof theslide or' ram, resulting in excessive wear any liability to distortion during its operation. on the latter member and also the tools.

One form of a power press embodying our We have, after much study and repeated ex- 65 invention and in the construction and use of periment, found that if the head of the frame which the objects herein set out, as well as others, be made rigid enough to withstand said outward may be attained is illustrated in the accompanybowing distortion the problem of distortion of ing drawing, in whichother parts of the frame is practically solved.

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of our We have therefore directed our attention to the 70 improved press. production of a power press inwhich the head of Figure 2 is a side view of the same. the frame has sufiicient rigidity to withstand Figure 3 is a top view on enlarged scale of the the distortion hereinbefore referred to. head of the frame of our improved press. Our improved machine having a head with the Figure 4 is an end view of the same. characteristics just described is shown in the ac- 75 Figure 5 is a front view of said head, and companying drawing in which the numeral 7 de- Figure 6 is a view in cross section on a plane notes the base of the machine, 8 a die plate supdenoted by the dotted line 6-6 of Figure 3. ported on the table of said base, 9 the sides of The production of machines of the type formthe frame secured to and rising from the base,

ing the subject matter of this application in- 10 a ram or slide mounted in slideways in the so volves a problem of construction such that the frame in any ordinary manner and operated as frame will be distorted to a minimum degree by means of pitmen ll connecting the slide with under the enormous pressures encountered in a crank shaft 12 mounted in bearings at the tops the ordinary operation of such machines, this of the sides in any ordinary manner, and which problem having heretofore been met by making shaft may be rotated as by means of gears 13 p the frames of ponderous weight. More recently secured to the shaft and meshing with driving attempts have been made to construct these magears not herein shown. The parts of the frame chines of less weight and particularly from comjust mentioned may be constructed inany deparatively thin pieces of metal welded together sired manner, but preferably they will be com- 35 which again requires the problem above menposed of comparatively thin pieces or sheets of tioned to be solved and to provide a frame that metal secured together by welding. will successfully withstand, without undue dis- It is preferable to make these welded members tortion, the forces to which the frames are subfrom a metal having substantially the same ultijected. mate tensile and compressive strength as this 40 It has been found, particularly on presses havpermits the use of easily obtained commercial ing crankshafts with comparatively long strokes, shapes from which to cut and form the various that where the tools begin their operation on the elements entering into the welded members. work near the mid-stroke of the operating move- The head comprises base blocks 14 located at ment of the slide or ram in each press, an enoreach end of said head and having inwardly pro- 45 mous pressure must be transmitted by the pitjecting integral stays 15. Each block has an man or pitmen to the slide or ram while the pitopening, preferably rectangular in form, on its man or pitmen, is or are at a substantial angle under surface to receive journal bearings for with respect to the vertical centerline of the a crankshaft. Connecting bars 16 are abutted machine. This enormous pressure is resolved at their opposite ends against the inner surfaces 50 into two forces, one of which is along the verof the base blocks at the outer ends of the lattical center line of the crankshaft and the other ter, and as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing, along the horizontal center line of the cranka fiat surface being provided on the blocks beshaft. tween the stays 15 and the ends of the blocks Both of these forces tend to distort the head, to receive the ends of the connecting bars 16. 55 the vertical force tending to bow the head out- Struts 17 spaced a slight distance apart are abutted with their opposite ends against the inner surfaces of the connecting bars 16, said struts having rectangularly shaped openings to receive crank-shaft journal bearings.

In the machine shown the distance between the side members is such that it is preferable to have a plurality of struts 17. It is understood, however, that where this distance is reduced, a single strut may be used or in some types of machines no struts at all may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A crown 18 of arch shape sets upon the blocks 14, said crown also having inwardly projecting supports 19 that set upon the struts 17.

Bracing plates 20 of triangular shape are placed in the angles between the crown 18 and the base blocks and struts, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, said plates extending upward- 1y well toward the top of the crown 18. It will be understood that in some types of small machines these bracing plates may be dispensed with.

All of the parts of the head just described are secured one to another as by means of welding, the abutting surfaces, ends and edges being suitably prepared in any desired manner to provide a joint of maximum strength.

With this construction those familiar in the art will readily see that the vertical component of the force is resisted by the crown 18 having great depth as compared with its thickness. Furthermore, any slight tendency to bow upward and which would result in the side members bowing inwardly is resisted by the connecting bars 16. Also any tendency of the latter to distortion is resisted by the struts 17 which are also reinforced by the plates 20.

An important feature of our invention resides in the journal bearings constructed to form struts extending between and secured to the connecting bars 16 and which may be reinforced by the bracing plates 20.

This construction results in a high moment of inertia in both the horizontal and vertical planes, reducing the distortion in the head to a minimum and a head comparatively light in weight.

We claim:

1. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks to be received upon the ends of the standards, con.- necting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, a crown comprising a piece of much width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks, and means for connecting said bars to the lower edge of said crown intermediate its ends.

' 2. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks to be received upon the ends of the standards, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, a crown comprising a piece of much width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the upper surfaces of said blocks, and a strut secured at its opposite ends to said connecting bars intermediate the ends of said crown and secured to the lower edge of said crown.

3. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks to be received upon the ends of said standards, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, a crown comprising a piece of much width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks and resting thereupon, and struts spaced apart near the crosswise center of said crown and secured to the lower edge thereof and at their opposite ends to said connecting bars.

4. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks each to be received upon the ends of the standards, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said base blocks, a crown comprising a piece of much width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks and resting thereupon, struts secured to the lower edge of said crown near the crosswise center thereof and spaced one from the other, and bracing plates secured in the angles between said crown and said base blocks and struts, said plates being secured at their abutting ends to said members.

5. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks to be received upon the ends of the standards, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, and a crown comprising a piece of much width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks.

6. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks to be received upon the ends of the standards, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, and a crown com prising a piece having a width at least four times as great as its thickness and secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks.

'7. A power press comprising a base, standards rising from the base, and a head supported by said standards and including base blocks to be received upon the ends of the standards, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, a crown comprising a piece of much width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks, and bracing plates secured in the angles between the crown and said base blocks.

8. A head for a power press, said head including base blocks serving as a support for the head, connecting bars secured at their opposite ends to opposite ends of said blocks, and a crown comprising a piece of much Width as compared with its thickness secured at its opposite ends to the crosswise center of said blocks.

FRANK K. SIMMONS. CORTIS F. SHERMAN. 

